Seminole Towne Center is a super-regional shopping mall in Sanford, Florida, positioned at the intersection of Interstate 4, State Road 417, and State Road 429.
Developed by Melvin Simon & Associates, it opened in September 1995 with anchors JCPenney, Burdines, Dillard’s, Sears, and Parisian, offering more than one million square feet of retail space.
The property competed with nearby malls through the late 1990s and early 2000s, adding and replacing tenants as department store brands changed.
Economic downturns in the late 2000s and anchor closures in the 2010s reduced occupancy.
Washington Prime Group assumed ownership in 2014, followed by a 2020 sale to a joint venture between Kohan Retail Investment Group and 4th Dimension Properties.
As of 2025, most interior shops are closed, four anchor tenants remain open, and the 76-acre site is under redevelopment for a mix of retail, housing, and hospitality uses.
Early Proposals and Groundbreaking (Late 1980s–1993)
By the end of the 1980s, plans for a major retail complex in northern Seminole County were circulating among developers.
Three separate proposals targeted land near the intersection of Interstate 4 and State Road 46.
Melvin Simon & Associates advanced the largest plan: a 1.2-million-square-foot mall paired with a hotel and office space.
The project was named Seminole Towne Center.
In September 1990, Dillard’s committed to opening a store, building on its recent expansion into Central Florida through the purchase of Ivey’s.
That same month, the city of Sanford approved $6.3 million in municipal bonds for road improvements tied to the project, to be financed through a tax increment district.
Simon agreed to pay Lake Mary $500,000 toward widening a nearby road.
The original construction start date was set for 1991, with an opening planned for 1993.
Financing delays tied to the early 1990s recession halted progress.
The project secured funding in 1993, and a groundbreaking ceremony took place on September 9 of that year.
Construction moved forward on the enclosed, climate-controlled structure with multiple anchor pads.
By the time steel framing began rising, commitments from other retailers were in place, setting the foundation for a large-scale regional mall aimed at shoppers in Seminole, Lake, and Volusia counties.
Grand Opening and Competitive Position (1995–2003)
On September 1, 1995, JCPenney and Burdines opened their doors at Seminole Towne Center.
Three weeks later, on September 22, the full mall held its grand opening.
The lineup included Parisian, making its first Central Florida appearance, along with Dillard’s and Sears.
Specialty tenants ranged from The Disney Store and Talbots to Gap and Brookstone.
Television spots ran with the jingle “shop a new mall, mall.” Opening weekend drew an estimated 200,000 visitors.
The mall entered a competitive field.
Altamonte Mall sat 10 miles away, while Lake Square Mall and Volusia Mall attracted their own customer bases.
In 1998, Oviedo Marketplace opened within the same county. Despite the competition, Seminole Towne Center added attractions.
In 1996, a 10-screen United Artists theater opened on an outparcel.
However, Plans for a large virtual reality arcade inside the mall never materialized.
In 1999, the parking lot became home to the Seminole County Fair, operated by James E. Strates Shows. This annual event continued for years.
During this time, the mall kept a mix of well-known national chains and mid- to upper-tier department stores.
The lineup stayed broad enough to draw a wide range of shoppers, but it shifted as regional retail trends changed.
Brand Changes and Market Adjustments (2004–2008)
In 2004, Saks said it would drop the Parisian name from its two Orlando-area stores, including the one at Seminole Towne Center, and switch them to McRae’s.
The change came as other high-end department stores were moving into the market.
A year later, McRae’s was sold to Belk, giving the mall a new midrange anchor.
Around the same time, Burdines was converted to Macy’s as part of a nationwide rebranding.
By 2006, JCPenney had updated its layout and fixtures, giving the store a more modern look.
The mall’s anchors were now all national department store brands.
Inside, shoppers still found a mix of chain clothing stores, specialty shops, and service providers.
Competition remained a constant factor.
Altamonte Mall retained a strong retail base, and Oviedo Marketplace, though newer, drew shoppers from overlapping trade areas.
The early 2000s also saw nearby power centers adding big-box stores that could meet specific shopping needs without requiring a full mall visit.
Even with the changes, Seminole Towne Center kept its place as a multi-anchor enclosed mall, with enough space to hold a wide mix of stores.
Economic Pressures and Anchor Turnover (2009–2013)
The late 2000s downturn reduced sales across many retailers.
Management at Seminole Towne Center sought to attract brands positioned toward shoppers less affected by the slowdown.
New arrivals during this period included Buckle, Coach, Coldwater Creek, Hollister, Tillys, and Zumiez.
In 2009, H&M announced one of its first two Florida locations for the mall, replacing the combined spaces of Ann Taylor and Charlotte Russe.
The 20,000-square-foot store opened on October 15.
This addition brought a high-traffic apparel brand into a prominent interior location.
Anchor stability began to shift in 2010, when Belk announced its closure for October of that year.
The building remained unused for two years. In February 2012, Dick’s Sporting Goods confirmed plans to occupy the upper floor.
By June, Burlington announced it would take the lower level.
That year, Sears shut down its clothing department and closed the entire lower level, leaving only the upper floor in operation.
The store kept its anchor spot, but with far less space in use.
Ownership Changes and Decline (2014–2023)
On May 28, 2014, Simon Property Group transferred Seminole Towne Center to Washington Prime Group as part of a spin-off involving 98 properties.
At the time, the mall’s occupancy rate was about 90 percent.
In 2016, 20,000 square feet of space near Macy’s was converted into Athletic Apex, a fitness center.
Anchor losses followed.
On May 31, 2018, Sears was named among 63 stores set to close nationwide, with operations ending September 2.
Macy’s announced its own closure on January 7, 2020, leaving two empty anchor spaces.
In March of that year, Washington Prime sold the property for $52.3 million to a joint venture between Kohan Retail Investment Group and 4th Dimension Properties, with Kohan holding the majority stake.
By April 2020, AdventHealth had set up a drive-through COVID-19 testing site in the parking area.
In February 2022, the former Sears location reopened as Elev8 Fun, an entertainment complex with bowling, go-karts, and arcade games.
Burlington vacated in late 2022, moving to a nearby power center. The space was temporarily used by Spirit Halloween in 2023.
That same year, reports showed $824,000 in unpaid 2022 property taxes.
In early 2024, Florida Power & Light briefly disconnected electricity over unpaid bills.
This interruption did not affect anchors with separate utility connections.
Closure, Sale, and Redevelopment (2024–2025)
In May 2024, 4th Dimension purchased Kohan’s share of the mall and paid off $1.6 million in back taxes.
At the time, about 79 percent of the space was occupied.
Plans for parts of the property had been in discussion for some time, including an apartment complex on the old Macy’s site and a hotel tied to Elev8 Fun’s entertainment space.
In September 2024, Sanford officials announced that Gilbane Development had entered a contract to purchase the property, though the agreement later fell through.
On January 8, 2025, the closure of the interior mall was confirmed for January 31, with demolition planned to begin in March.
Four anchors, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Elev8 Fun, were set to remain open through the process.
On March 14, 2025, Atlanta-based Ardent Companies acquired approximately 76 acres of the site for about $17 million.
The company announced plans for a mixed-use redevelopment incorporating retail, multifamily housing, and hospitality.
In June 2025, city records detailed plans for a 156,000-square-foot Costco with an on-site gas station and 847 parking spaces, to replace the former Macy’s building.
Demolition of that anchor was projected within four months, with Costco’s opening targeted for the third quarter of 2026.
Construction activity and site preparation have replaced interior retail operations, shifting the property’s role from a regional shopping destination to an active redevelopment site with anchored commercial use during the transition.